Daryl Richardson: Why St. Louis Rams Sophomore Is More Than Just a 3rd-Down Back

August 13, 2013   ·   Jamal Collier   ·   Jump to comments

Maybe it was the 2012 pairing with Steven Jackson that inspired a reflexive, contrasting perception of Daryl Richardson’s game. The St. Louis Rams' rising sophomore running back is about four inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than Jackson but still earned work as a rookie. Based on those facts—and his ability to get to the outside and make plays—alone, some decided that Richardson must be a third-down or change-of-pace back.
That perception would be inaccurate.
Richardson rushed 98 times for 475 yards (4.8 average) last season. A majority—53 percent—of those carries (52) came on first downs.
Daryl went for 272 rushing yards on first down: an average of 5.23 yards per carry. That includes an off-tackle sprint down the right sideline in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins.
Richardson broke through a pair of simultaneous arm tackles at the 48-yard line and put a shoulder into Josh Wilson—who then tripped up his own teammat...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - NFL
Article is property of BleacherReport.com